Washington D.C. – PFL featherweight Jose Perez made his promotional debut when he defeated Jesse Stirn at week 9 of the PFL 2024 playoffs on Friday.
Perez (9-1) was supposed to fight in June against Tyler Diamond, but his opponent was rebooked. Instead Perez had to watch as his former opponent took a victory over Brett Johns.
“Do you know how f*cking weird it was? Never in my life have I ever experienced a situation where I train, work my ass off, and the thing is I’m obsessed with these guys,” Perez told Cageside Press among other media at his post-fight scrum.
“I thought nothing but Jesse Stirn everyday and though about the fears, thinking about nightmares of this guy kicking my ass beating me up in front of my friends and family. By the time I actually get to the fight I’ve though about this individual so much that I’m mentally exhausted.”
Perez is clearly not happy about missing out on the Diamond fight.
“I was mentally exhausted obsessing over Tyler Diamond and six days before the fight they call me and tell me it’s not going to happen, but that I still have to continue this process of cutting weight and going there. I watch him fight and not only that I’m in the crowd numbing my pain with Bud Light and watching someone make mistakes that I could have capitalized,” he said.
“Giving his back. What do I do with everybody? I take their back. I choke them. I watch him start to die out in the first round. I didn’t get my chance under the lights. Any of these guys. It’s nothing personal Tyler Diamond, nice guy great guy, but I want to f*ck him up.”
At PFL Washington he got to take his frustrations out on Stirn instead. The same feelings he had for Diamond he expressed for Stirn.
“As soon as I’m done with you guys I am hoping that Jesse Stirn will get blackout lit with me after this,” he said.
“That’s all I’m hoping for.”
Watch the entire post-fight scrum with Jose Perez above.
